Paxum

Paxum! Everyone’s alternative payment method that no-one wants to use. No shade. I like to think of Paxum as the provider everyone goes to when PayPal decides to screw them relentlessly. If you’re in the porn industry, this has probably already happened to you.

PayPal Rant

(This part’s important. Don’t skip it. I know it’s not about Paxum, but you need to hear this because it’s the main reason why and how Paxum manages to stay successful and relevant.)

PayPal does not like you and you know it. Hell, they even managed to get in a spat with PornHub recently. It’s insane. Paypal has always had a problem with sex workers. They never allowed them to use PayPal, even for personal use, as long as there’s been evidence of them being involved in sex work.

They’ve been branching out in further discrimination in the last couple of years with a ban on transactions to PornHub models. This put countless cam-girls out of business. Sure, they’ve got other platforms as well, but PornHub’s the big cheese. They can’t afford to just jump ship overnight. Oh, and they were given 2 days’ notice before they got booted, so it’s clear that PayPal doesn’t give a shit. PayPal says that PornHub broke the rules, PornHub says that there’s nothing they can do. The bottom line is, the workers are suffering.

So how does this all lead to Paxum? Well, they’re the main alternative payment method for all of the people who’ve been left out of the rain by PayPal.

A Saving Grace

On the surface, Paxum markets itself as just another payment platform. You won’t read much about how they’re bigger or better than the competition on their home site. They just talk about their offers and payment methods. Very classy. But, across the rest of the internet, you’ll usually see one of two kinds of marketing regarding Paxum. One is a long list of complaints that I will address a bit further on. The other is, well, a long list of pornographic sites that list Paxum as a preferred payment method for all of their clients.

I’ve been seeing their name everywhere in the past few years. It would appear that they’re the most straightforward and simplest payment method for literally anyone who isn’t from the US. That is, unless you’re in porn, in which case you might still need Paxum. It’s a shit-show out there. At first, I was overjoyed to see that there was a payment processor who offered damn near everything PayPal did, but with a lot less discrimination. I thought they’d be everyone’s saving grace.

They’re accessible to both businesses and individuals and they seem to encourage you to sign up as fast as possible. They don’t send you through a background check rigmarole. Certainly, there’s always Payoneer, but those guys are very strict about the types of payments they perform. You can’t accept bank transfers through Payoneer. They only support ACH. So, if your employer isn’t an established US company with ACH payouts, you’re shit out of luck. Paxum seems to be the best choice, no matter how you spin it.

People Keep Complaining

Paxum seemed like the best option for everyone… until I got deep into user reviews and realized that everyone who actually used their services had something negative to say. There’s a lot of polarization on the subject and I suspect it has something to do with paid reviews. All the reviews on reputable review sites seem to either be written by people with perfect English or people who straight-up type like children, in angry caps lock. So, what does this tell me?

Well, I can’t prove it, but normally when you see this kind of clear divide between reviews, that means the good ones are bought reviews. I can’t prove it; I only suspect it. Do not quote me on this. I straight up just find it suspicious how every single confirmable individual that I have met online and in person had negative things to say about Paxum, but every review site is riddled with these pitch-perfect reviews full of praise. They look like they were written by a marketing team.

They Claim They’re Credible

Paxum themselves also praise their own professionalism way too much for a company that is at best up-and-coming. Sure, from their perspective, they’re making off like bandits. But, they’re lagging way behind PayPal and the like.

Some of the pornstars that were affected by the whole PayPal drought said that Paxum was an alternative for them, but they straight up refused to use it because of bad experiences with the site. On top of that, they said that the fees are exorbitant. This really confused me, because Paxum lists all of their fees right on their website. You don’t even have to log in; it’s public information. They have some weird fees for more niche transactions, but the most important part, the withdrawals from your earnings only cost 0.5%. You read that right. You lose point five percent and that sounds amazing. I don’t know what fees these people are actually complaining about.

I literally have no helpful conclusion on the subject. I do not know how your experience with Paxum will pan out. They’re certainly a legitimate e-wallet and they do, in fact, send you your money when you request it. They’re not a scam and they don’t seem to be involved in shady practices. And yet, they keep getting hate thrown at them. I’d advise that you try them out with a small amount of money and just sort of test the waters. If everything smells right, fuck it; make them your main payment provider. I genuinely can’t give you more peace of mind than that.

Their Features

Putting the drama aside, let’s talk about what Paxum actually has to offer you. You’ll either be signing up for a business account or an individual account. As a business, you can send payouts to your employees. I do not think they have merchant account functionality. Their website doesn’t exactly list any such an option. They’re mostly focused on payments and standard transactions. So, no automated purchases here. But, you can set up an automated system as a business in case you have a lot of employees and you want to encourage them to get their hands on a debit card.

The debit cards are really popular. I’d like to think that Payoneer made this service popular first, but it’s taken off like wildfire. Every single wallet at this point comes with some sort of debit card that lets you access your funds worldwide. So, you receive your money, you go to an ATM and you withdraw cash at a 2% loss. Remember that the bank that runs the ATM also takes a cut for the conversion from one currency to another, if need be. Sure, that’s kind of pricey, but it’s to be expected with international payments.

Quick and Simple Transactions

Going off of what’s written on their site, they seem to offer damn near everything you might need both as an employer and as a singular webmaster looking to turn a profit. You could use your personal card to receive payments from companies that you run affiliate marketing for. Or, if you’re running a corporate gig, you can get a business card instead. Both of these allow you to receive payments, of course. On top of all that, a business account lets you send out mass payouts if you’ve got employees. It’s a match made in heaven.

The best part is that they support ACH, SEPA and IBAN transfers. In other words, they support the new and sexy transaction methods for the US and the EU, but also conventional old-school bank transfers. You should be able to receive money from anyone and anywhere. You can also send and receive funds between Paxum accounts, so if you’ve got a buddy with one of these bad boys, you can send them some pocket funds in a matter of seconds. If they’ve got their debit card on them, they’ll have the money by the time they walk down to the ATM.

My conclusion with Paxum is that everyone’s experience varies and I straight up can’t give you a valid conclusion. On paper, they seem like the best payment processor in the world. But, with all of these negative reviews floating around, I have no idea what to think. I’m sure you can give them a shot and they will, in fact, do what they promise to do. As for how effectively they’ll do it… I have no idea. Good luck.